As we get closer to Halloween, Smooch Fest revisits the beloved teen show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lena is joined by Olivia Haidar (Movie Projectionist and Cool Person) to discuss the seminal kissing scenes from the entire series. They focus on the kisses between Buffy and Angel and later, Buffy and Spike. They compare Buffy’s two vampire boyfriends and struggle to decide who is best for her.

Next, the two talk about Willow and Tara - whose sapphic relationship was the first lesbian couple ever featured on a primetime TV show. They discuss Willow and Tara’s relationship timeline and the long road to their first onscreen kiss. Lena and Olivia have complex feelings about the representation of this queer relationship, but mostly of Tara’s character. Our main takeaway: Eeyore does not have sex appeal!

Stick around for all the fun behind the scenes lore from Buffy as well as a first kiss story from Olivia’s past!

Follow Olivia:

https://x.com/hitherehaidar

Follow Lena:

https://www.instagram.com/trolololson/

Follow Smooch Fest:

https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod

Links:

Buffy and Angel first kiss, S1E7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siLEjW8LGVk

Spike and Buffy - Something Blue kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5zI29e9FJs

Spike and Buffy - Intervention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sV_GcXRhTw

Spike and Buffy - Once More with Feeling kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0WNpqhPWGI

Willow and Tara kiss, S5E16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRRzHBxWFTc

You may notice a promo for a podcast called This Week in Fandom History, hosted by V Arrow and Emily Jaye. It’s a super fun deep dive into the world of fan fiction. Give it a listen here: https://www.thisweekinfandomhistory.com/

Smooch Fest is a biweekly podcast featuring film and television discussions about the most romantic kisses in pop culture. Each episode, Lena Olson is joined by guests to revisit the most famous onscreen kisses in film & television. Are you a millennial with 90s and 2000s nostalgia for romantic comedies, comfort watches, and goofy banter? We’ve got analysis about the cutest TV couples, what kisses reveal about relationship dynamics, and behind the scenes info you don’t want to miss!

Are you curious about the history of kissing, cultural kissing practices, and why people kiss in the first place? Lena shares the fascinating history behind the culture of kissing and courtship. Guests share personal relationship stories about their first kiss, advice for kissing techniques, and funny observations about humorous dating mishaps. Smooch Fest explores how kissing and romance is depicted across the spectrum of sexuality, culture, and gender. Lena shares details about queer television history, first gay onscreen kisses, and WLW romance across media. If it wasn’t clear, this is a bisexual podcast featuring kisses across the straight, gay, and lesbian spectrum.

Learn about the science of kissing from experts: do animals kiss, why do humans kiss? And historical kisses like the first recorded kiss on film, and the first interracial kiss on television.

Come for the timeless romance and scene study of the best kisses in pop cultural history. Stay for the feminist...

We’re falling into spooky season so Kiru Nwadiwe (Teacher, Booktoker) joins Lena to talk about her favorite witchy kisses from The Craft and Practical Magic. They talk about the rich tapestry of 90s witchy media and the boho whimsigoth era that defined a generation. Lena discovers that Kiru is repulsed by choreography videos. Do NOT try to woo her with those!

Then they dive into 1998’s Practical Magic. Lena gets on her soapbox about why it’s GOOD this movie is so genre bending. They revisit Sandra Bullock’s kissing scenes with her late husband, Michael, and Detective Hallet. They also discuss her intense chemistry with Nicole Kidman and make predictions for Practical Magic 2.

At the end of the episode, Lena teaches Kiru how to cast a love spell. Enjoy!

Follow Kiru:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kiru.osity4books

Follow Lena:

https://www.instagram.com/trolololson/

Follow Smooch Fest:

https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod

Links:

The Craft Kissing Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUJtn_Bwm-w

Practical Magic First Kiss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWgdwOtUIEY

Practical Magic Second Kiss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDa_R37DMg&t=10s

Sky Full of Elephants Book - https://bookshop.org/p/books/sky-full-of-elephants-a-novel-cebo-campbell/7575ac25a1b625c3

You may notice an ad for a podcast called Consider This For Comfort, hosted by Eteng Ettah. It’s a super fun, nostalgic show exploring why comfort shows are so comforting. Give it a listen here: https://pod.link/1823537949

Book Agent and co-host of the Pemberley Podcast, Jillian Davis, joins Lena Olson this week to talk all things romance! They discuss the Indie French romcom, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, and compare the kissing scenes between Agathe and her two suitors.

Later, Lena asks Jillian about her life as a book agent, her favorite romance books, and her suggestions for writing a good smooch. Lena then explains how courtship customs were different in the Regency era.

Follow Jillian:

https://www.instagram.com/jayyydayyy235

https://www.instagram.com/thepemberley

Follow The Pemberley Podcast:

https://pod.link/1156737811

Follow Lena:

https://www.instagram.com/trolololson/

Follow Smooch Fest:

https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod

You may notice an ad for a podcast called Consider This For Comfort, hosted by Eteng Ettah. It’s a super fun, nostalgic show exploring why comfort shows are so comforting. Give it a listen here: https://pod.link/1823537949

Relevant Links:

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inLm4GvLQuk

Article about old dating customs: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/the-real-rules-of-courtship-dating-in-the-regency-era/

Book Recs:

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Mate by Ali Hazelwood

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Anything by Emily Henry

We’ve got Ashley Gharaibeh joining the pod to talk about the best smooches in animation! First, they review the new anime series “Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You”. Ashley gives Lena the lowdown on the anime scene and why this particular series is so special. They discuss age gap relationships and the underrated concept of YEARNING.

Next, Ashley tells the story about her first (and unfortunately worst) kiss —it’s a doozy! Stay for the Smooch Smackdown, where Lena and Ashley rank the best kissing scenes in animation, from Disney to Nickelodeon to CGI. They acknowledge how hard it is to draw people smooching and admit that out of all cartoon characters, animals may be the best kissers…

We close this episode with a smooch fact about the first same-sex kiss in a Disney movie. Enjoy!

You may notice an ad for a podcast called Consider This For Comfort, hosted by Eteng Ettah. It’s a super fun, nostalgic show exploring why comfort shows are so comforting. Give it a listen here: https://pod.link/1823537949

Follow Ashley:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/itsspinachee/⁠

⁠https://www.twitch.tv/spinachee⁠

⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@spinachee⁠

Follow Smooch Fest:

⁠https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod⁠

Links:

Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ0vtP-hPq0

Lightyear kiss: https://www.out.com/film/2022/3/21/pixar-restores-same-sex-lightyear-kiss-after-it-was-cut-disney

This week, Lena Olson is joined by the hosts of But I'm A Lesbian Pod, Katlynn Beatty and Angelina Herrera! They gossip about the iconic threeway kiss between Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV VMA Awards. Learn the crazy behind the scenes details and hear about society's reaction to it.

Later, Katlynn shares a story about her first and worst kiss (Teaser: comedian Carrot Top plays a role). Last but not least, we discuss a heavy hitter, the sapphic tv show A League of Their Own (2022). We cover the hottest kisses of the season between Carson and Greta, as well as Max and Esther. Enjoy this smooch-filled episode!

Follow Smooch Fest:

⁠https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod⁠

Follow But I'm A Lesbian: https://linktr.ee/butimalesbianpod

Relevant Links:

Madonna Christina Britney Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh4KUeKm8fc

Rehearsal Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3gaF0lo4JU

Rolling Stone article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/2003-vmas-britney-madonna-christina-kiss-1234809755/

Carson Greta Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igWIdmEKJT4

Max and Esther Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R2NHRRpL1I

Negro Baseball League article: https://time.com/6205531/a-league-of-their-own-true-story-amazon/

Maybelle Blair article: https://www.them.us/story/maybelle-blair-a-league-of-their-own-coming-out

Tello Films: https://www.tellofilms.com/

For this week’s episode, we are talking about the Canadian sensation, Heated Rivalry! Lena is joined by Johan Clarke to go on a deep dive about the sensual kisses between Shane and Ilya, and Scott and Kip. This hockey romance starring Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams took the world by storm, and we dissect what made the series so special.

Johan shares a touching personal story about their best AND first kiss. The two wax nostalgic about the music video for “All the Things She Said” by T.A.T.U. despite the pop duo’s complicated legacy of queerbaiting. Stick around to hear about a real kiss in women’s soccer.

Follow Smooch Fest: https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod

Follow Johan’s Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/johanaclarke/

Relevant Links:

All the Things She Said Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mGBaXPlri8

Shane & Ilya First Kiss (Ep 1): https://youtu.be/ADi1iextoUM?t=55

Scott & Kip (Ep 5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHUVCDqhE4Q

Kelly O’Hara Soccer Kiss: https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/uswnt/2025/01/03/uswnt-defender-ohara-world-cup-kiss-with-girlfriend/77432749007/

#heatedrivalry #hudsonwilliams #connorstorrie #francoisarnaud #robbiegrahamkuntz #popcultureanalysis #romanticcomedy #datingstories #gaytv #lgbtqpodcast #queerpodcast #bisexual #wlw #gay #lgbtqromance #kissingscenes #tvpodcast #kissing #kiss #romance

Welcome back to the Smooch Fest podcast! We are so excited to bring you season TWO!

Our host, Lena Olson, is joined by returning guest, Melissa Flores. They catch up on Season 8 of Love Island USA and discuss the hottest smooches between their favorite couple: Aniya & Carl. They compare how the Gen Z and Millennial boys approach the girls (Hint: the Gen Z boys are giving incel!) Then Melissa and Lena make their predictions ahead of the finale!

Lena also investigates the origin of kissing games like Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven, with some surprising results! Stick around for some history about dating shows in general, from The Dating Game to The Bachelor. Thanks for listening!

Follow Melissa:https://www.instagram.com/melissaflo/

Follow Smooch Fest:⁠https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod

Email us your kissing stories at smoochfestpod@gmail.com

Links:Carl & Aniya’s Kisses in Say Less:

https://youtu.be/2okAVjw3hb4?si=urZuz5bsujqOOos-

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaQQwoeOG3Z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Last Season’s episode about Love Island: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfVj1MBeVug&t=64s

Melissa’s episode on the smooches in Friends:

https://youtu.be/-XwY6FJysqc?si=5LArfXnmgMQMzJuq

Link to Mental Floss article: https://www.mentalfloss.com/fun/games/9-victorian-parlor-games-sparked-romance

Link to Bachelor Nation book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/bachelor-nation-inside-the-world-of-america-s-favorite-guilty-pleasure-amy-kaufman/742fa9a1d8e38fb2

Here’s the thing about me... I have a sickness, an affliction, where I need two people to kiss in every movie, TV show, or book that I consume.

And when they don’t kiss? I feel cheated. I feel betrayed. I lose the will to live. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and turn this condition into cultural commentary.

I'm Lena Olson, your host and smooch connoisseur. Every episode, a guest joins me to discuss the most iconic kissing scenes in pop culture history.

This season, we’re talking about the smooches in Titanic, Heated Rivalry, Love Island, Gilmore Girls, the three-way kiss between Madonna, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV VMA awards, and MORE.

But it wouldn’t be a kissing podcast if we just kept it to pop culture. We delve into personal stories about our first, best, and worst kisses. We learn about the science and history behind smooching. Why did people start kissing in the first place? When was the first gay kiss on screen? How much bacteria gets transferred when people kiss? Any question you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask!

So get ready for Season 2, dropping July 9th later this week. Available on all podcast platforms, as well as Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok @smoochfestpod